There are three different melon groups to grow. They are: musk which need to grow in a greenhouse, then there are honeydew type that also require a greenhouse or tunnel and then there is the cantaloupe type melon that can grow in the cooler climates of the UK.

Cantaloupe melons can be grow outside in the UK, but they do prefer a warm sunny area, or you can grow them in a coldframe, or in a tunnel.

When to sow

You can start to sow melon seeds in mid to late April, sow two seeds in a pot or a tray, about 1cm deep, in some good quality compost. I place this in my heated propagator. But if you don’t have a propagator then place it on a window sill, keep the compost watered. Wait until the seeds come up, this will take a few days.

When the melon plants have got true leaves and are big enough say at least 4 leaves, then it’s time to harden the plants off, this means that the melon plant adapts to the outdoor conditions, you can acclimatise the melon plants by putting them outside in the day and bringing them inside for the night, do this for at least a weak, as this means the plant gets used to being outdoors. Plant the melons outside when all risk of frost is gone.

Melons are very similar to cucumbers and are tender plants, so they prefer a fertile and well-drained soil to grow in and they prefer to be planted in a warm and sunny spot. Also give the plants protection from the wind.

Before planting the melon plants out you need to get the soil ready, dig out any weeds and add organic matter to the ground. You can warm the soil by adding either clear or black plastic over the soil for a week. Then remove the plastic and plant the melons.

Once the plant reaches a fifth leaf you can cut the growing point out, as this will encourage the plant to make side shoots. When you see the side shoots appear, keep the four strongest and remove the others.

Keep the plants well-watered, and when the fruits are the size of walnuts, then it’s time to feed the plants with a high potash potassium liquid fertiliser – you can do this every 7-10 days. It’s important to stop feeding the plant and reduce watering when the fruits start to ripen and the foliage dies back.

Sometimes it may be necessary to pollinate the melon plants by hand, you can see the difference between a male and female flower…female flowers have a small undeveloped fruit behind the flower, and the male flowers do not. You can use one male flower to pollinate four females.

When the fruits are gooseberry size, select the best four fruits on each stem and then remove all the other flowers, fruit and leaves. This will encourage the plant to develop the fruits.

You will also need to stop the side shoots two or three leaves past these fruits and pinch out the main growing tips and also remove any new growth as they appear.

It’s helpful to the plant to place the place the growing fruit on a tile or piece of wood as this will help prevent the discolouration or rotting of the fruit.

Melons will start to ripen from mid-summer onwards, and you can harvest the fruits when they start to produce their individual melon fragrance, also a melon is ripe when the fruit starts to crack near the stem.